Monday, October 5, 2009

Breaking the Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough + Giveaway


A very special thank you to Sarah and the staff at Pocket Books for providing a copy of Breaking the Bank for me to review for you today!

Imagine you and your only child being left by your husband for some swanky, Asian chick. Now imagine that loser never paying child support or offering you a dime for anything. You work your tail off while your Lloyd is out playing around and enjoying the high life. All he wants is to see his daughter, Eden, at every possible chance. Not quite fair eh?

This is the life of Mia. Her loser ex-husband Lloyd is demanding to spend time with his daughter Eden while Mia is working her absolute hardest to make ends meet. One day she visits a local ATM for some cash for some groceries on the way home. Instead of getting the $100 she asks for, she gets a little extra...at no expense to her account. She thinks of this bank error and just hopes she won't be asked to repay it. A few days later, she visits the same ATM again and receives more than she asks for. What kind of luck is this?

Family holidays and get togethers...you just gotta love 'em!! (NOT) Mia and Eden are visiting Mia's brother Stewart, ever loving sister-in-law Gail, and mom Betty over the Thanksgiving holidays. The girls are sent away to a neighbor's house while the adults are deep in conversation. Mia's family thinks she is the lowest form of scum on earth as a mother and want Eden to spend the Christmas holidays away with Betty. They all seem to think that mother and daughter could use a break from each other. What? Take her kid away to? Mia is beside herself.

A knock on the door starts even more trouble for Mia. It's the detectives and they want to know about her "friend" Weed. What will she tell them? What will Eden tell Lloyd, who'll then tell Stewart, who'll then tell Betty, who'll then tell....

It's only when Mia spends a long night in jail and meets Patrick that life starts to make an upward turn for her. Will she ever get Eden back? Will her family ever see her for the real person she is? What about the money? Will she get to keep it? What will she do?

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable book. I loved the story line and the underlying theme. I did not appreciate the language of the book (multiple "f" bombs dropped) or the casual sex. That withstanding, the sentiment behind the story is one that I think more Americans need to hear and believe. There are still good people in this world!! Mia, in my opinion, gets a really bad rap from her family and friends. She's a single mom trying her very best to get by. Sure she might have needed to reach out for some help but she was doing what she felt best for her and Eden.

What would you do if an ATM gave you more money than you asked for?

Answer this question and be entered for a chance to win one of two copies of Breaking the Bank that I'm giving away.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address with your answer, so that I can contact you if you win. You will have 3 days to respond to the email. You must put your email address in the comments or your entry is invalid. Format like faithfulgirl4[at]gmail[dot]com
2. For an extra entry, sign up to be a follower. If you're already a follower, let me know and you'll get the extra entry as well.
3. For another extra entry, subscribe via googlereader, blogger or by email and let me know that you do.
4. For another entry, blog about this giveaway and send me the link.
5. For another entry, Tweet about this contest and include @faithfulgirl along with website link.
6. For another entry, enter to win another of my giveaways and tell me that you have entered by leaving a comment here as to which one.
7. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on October 31, 2009.


Check out these other great bloggers featuring Breaking the Bank today!

Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/
Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/
The Brain Lair: http://brainlair.blogspot.com/
My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
My Reading Room: http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Bookin’ with Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
Chicks with Books: www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com
I’m Booking It: http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/
My Guilty Pleasures: http://www.mgpblog.com/
Blog Business World: http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/
Crazy For Books: http://www.crazy-for-books.com
Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/
Jeanne’s Ramblings: http://jeannesgifts.blogspot.com/
Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
My Book Addiction and More: http://mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com/
That’s A Novel Idea: http://www.thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com/
Bookfoolery and Babble: http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
My Five Monkeys: http://www.tableforseven-julie.blogspot.com/
Chicks Love Lit: http://www.chickloveslit.blogspot.com/
Hers For The Reading: http://13r3asonswhy.livejournal.com/
Lit and Life: http://litandlife.blogspot.com/
Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews: http://sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Book Magic: http://bookmagic418.blogspot.com/
Metroreader: http://metroreader.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com/
Foreign Library Circus: http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/

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38 comments:

  1. please enter me in the giveaway. i really want to read this book. I sounds good.

    bibliophilebythesea AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Honestly, I'd for a brief minute be very tempted to keep it but the guilt would eat me alive and I'd have to return it to the bank. I believe in karma and feel like something bad would happen to me if I kept it.

    melacan at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. follower

    melacan at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review! Obviously, I am not entering the contest since I am having it on my blog as well. Just wanted to get your final view of the book since I only knew yourthoughts while you were still reading. I agree that Mia got a bad rap from her family. They were less supportive than I wanted them to be. I liked how it came together in the end though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm with Pam - what goes around, comes around. But if I got hit with a "legitimate" windfall, you can be sure I'd put it all to good use! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this book - it sounds terrific!

    geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here's my Tweet: http://twitter.com/ASeaOfBooks/status/4671102727

    geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a Follower!

    geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would love to be entered in your draw. Thanks.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just became a follower of your blog.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am a subscriber via Google Reader.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would have to go to the bank and let them know...

    karen k
    kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a follower :) (forgot to post my email address previously)

    karen k
    kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Please enter me. Thanks for the chance.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would give the money back. This book sounds great, please count
    me in.
    I am a follower.

    cenya2 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'd call the bank & give the money back - it's not mine to keep!

    Thanks ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I follow thru GFC

    megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I subscribe via Google Reader

    megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I entered your giveaway for Beat the Reaper

    megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  19. it's a really nice blog thanks for add my comment...
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    ReplyDelete
  20. Well-I was at an ATM and someone left their ATM behind-in the machine stil active-I returned it to the bank
    chocolateandcroissants (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I follow-thank you for the givewaway.

    chocolateandcroissants (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  22. tweeted
    cococroissants http://bit.ly/1QUXEc giveaway for breaking the bank@faithful girl

    chocolateandcroissants (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  23. blogged about this here http://www.blogger.com/publish-confirmation.g?blogID=914743571941795687&postID=5609406679506983553&timestamp=1256095377685&javascriptEnabled=true

    chocolateandcroissants (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I entered The Heretic's Daughter-thanks for the great giveaway

    chocolateandcroissants (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Erin from Long IslandOctober 20, 2009 at 11:53 PM

    I would most likely keep it, and spend it on something important like food, gas, or insurance

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Erin from Long IslandOctober 20, 2009 at 11:54 PM

    I follow

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Erin from Long IslandOctober 20, 2009 at 11:54 PM

    subscribe in a reader

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Erin from Long IslandOctober 20, 2009 at 11:55 PM

    I also entered heritic's daughter

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Erin from Long IslandOctober 21, 2009 at 12:10 AM

    tweeted
    http://twitter.com/erunuevo/status/5038909956

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  30. If the ATM gave me too much money, I would go into the bank and return the extra cash to the cashiers. Please enter me into the contest.

    bstilwell12 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  31. Erin from Long IslandOctober 22, 2009 at 12:28 AM

    daily tweet
    http://twitter.com/erunuevo/status/5064251809

    erunuevo[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway, please enter me
    copperllama at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Erin from Long IslandOctober 24, 2009 at 11:24 PM

    tweet

    http://twitter.com/erunuevo/status/5141870001

    ReplyDelete
  34. I would return the money. The bank can trace what happened and it is dishonest. walkerd@primus.ca

    ReplyDelete
  35. I would probably go into the bank and try to return the money. There may have been a legit malfunction, may belong to person before me, etc!

    Thanks.
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  36. My conscience would only allow me to give the money to my favorite charity!

    mabelilly28 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  37. I am a recent follower!

    mabelilly28 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete